Junior (4-6)

Social competence requires more than just social skills; it is a complex and interconnected set of skills that enables us to navigate social interactions and initiate and maintain relationships with others.

The decision tree below is a tool offering educators (grades 1 through 12) a roadmap to identifying issues and solutions when a student demonstrates difficulty learning. It is based on a series of five questions that educators can ask themselves in order to identify the difficulty observed in the student. Depending on the answer to [...]

Neurodiversity is a term that refers to the range of neurological differences that occur in the brain as a result of natural variations in the human genome; these neurological differences include attention deficit hyperactive disorder, autism, learning disabilities and dyslexia. Neurodiversity overthrows ableist beliefs and practices that may marginalize students with learning disabilities in the classroom and school community, and embraces the strengths and abilities of individuals with neurological differences, while acknowledging the inherent and associated challenges.

For a student with a learning disability, the goal of an IEP is to maximize the student’s ability to access the curriculum. Now, what do we know about students with a learning disability? We know they are smart; that they have average to above average intellectual abilities. We also know they will have needs in their ability to learn and that these needs will require accommodations to facilitate success.

One of the challenges for educators in mathematics is to help students transfer their mathematical understanding from concrete to representational and then to abstract concepts. To support this process, three types of technological tools may prove effective.

Writing is one of the most complex tasks for all students, and particularly for students with LDs. In this section of the module, we will consider four stages of the writing process (planning, composing, revising, and sharing) and technological tools that prove effective at each stage. For each stage, educators may select different technological tools depending on the learning objectives targeted.

The act of reading draws on many different processes simultaneously. A reader must decode words, know what they mean, understand words when they are strung together in sentences, understand the use of pronouns, make connections between ideas using relationship markers, create mental pictures, make inferences, sum up information, and so forth.
The right technological tools can make a significant difference to students who struggle with reading.

For educators, setting the stage for a successful school year begins with practicing and applying a growth mindset in your daily approach. Students with learning disabilities (LDs) can struggle with negative self-image, poor self-esteem and a lack of resilience; these students may have a “fixed mindset”. A growth mindset has been shown to increase positive learning outcomes for students with LDs, and educators can impact their students’ well-being and achievement by modelling a growth mindset for learning. This webinar will provide educators with an understanding of the relationship between growth mindset and achievement, as well as resources and strategies for supporting students with LDs.

Having LDs may complicate the picture of anxiety, and may make it tricky for educators to recognize overlapping behaviors. For example, students who appear restless, distracted and who have difficulty concentrating may have a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as a learning disability or attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). But students may also be distracted by internal thoughts and worries, reflecting anxiety.

Behavioural disorders, particularly those of the externalized type[1], and learning disabilities often occur together. Indeed, the comorbidity between these two types of disorders in students was identified more than 20 years ago (Hinshaw, 1992). More specifically, empirical studies have shown that 75% of students with learning disabilities also lack social skills (Lane, Gresham, & O’Shaughnessy, 2002; National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2008).